Remember the Former Things: The Recollection of Previous Texts in Second Isaiah (review)

Hebrew Studies 40 (1999) 322 Reviews text [52:13-53:12], a task so complex as to be unimaginable, or, much more simply, his life, death and resurrection did confonn" (p. 408). To contend that early Christian writers and thinkers, many thoroughly steeped in Jewish texts and traditions, turned to them for the theological language to portray Jesus and his work not only seems possible. but plausible. The fact that Oswalt does not even consider such as a viable alternative is shocking given the claims of opelUless to a number of different reading strategies. On the more positive side, Oswalt does provide several rather extensive bibliographies on the Isaiah texts. although they tend not to incorporate much written post-1990. With regard to the purposes of the series, he is rather weak on more contemporary biblical criticisms. Such a lack is not unexpected since his work returns to an earlier period which stresses theological readings without any real self-reflection on the ideological nature of such interpretation. The commentary also includes a comprehensive index of transliterated Hebrew words which he employs in his text. The references are cursory, however, as are most of his points concerning Hebrew grammar and, thus, of not much use to a scholar looking for innovative insight . Finally, I conclude that this volume does not make any real contribution to the scholarly discussion on Isaiah 40-66. While Oswalt does offer some interesting thoughts on reading for a unity in theological message, his disregard for the basics of modem biblical scholarship and failure to engage such ultimately weaken his effort. The volume could be useful in Christian teaching and preaching if those using it remain aware that its Christian perspective shapes the readings and interpretations and work carefully with this bias when using it as a tool for exegesis. Sandie Gravett Appalachian State University Boone. NC 28608 gravettsl@appstate.edu REMEMBER THE FORMER THINGS: THE RECOLLECTION OF PREVIOUS TEXTS IN SECOND ISAIAH. By Patricia Tull Willey: SBLDS 161. pp. xi + 297. Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1997. Cloth, $39.95. The volume is a revised edition of the author's dissertation done at Emory University under the direction of Carol Newsom. The text is divided into seven chapters. The first two chapters cover the history of inter- Hebrew Studies 40 (1999) 323 Reviews pretation of Second Isaiah and the author's own proposed methodological approach of intertextual reading. Willey's interest in Second Isaiah focuses on how memory is used to negotiate change; in this case how memories preserved in earlier literature, such as Lamentations, is used to create continuity in the community-community of identity, tradition, relationship to God-through radically disruptive historical events. Literary method is used here to answer historical questions. Willey posits that attention to the intertextual nature of Second Isaiah will allow her to reconstruct, at least partially, an intellectual discourse map against which the rhetoric of Isaiah may be analyzed. Drawing on the work of Kristeva and Bakhtin, she notes a range of relationships a particular text can have to an earlier work. At one pole is a basic cultural legibility that allows a text to be read coherently. At the opposite pole is direct quotation. Allusion, which lies between these poles, is the most difficult relation to describe due to the varying levels of "friendly merger" that can exist among texts, as well as the level of hannony or dishannony between them. In order to establish its authority a text must not only negotiate or relativize influential past words, but also deal with contemporary competing speech. The next four chapters handle specific sections of Second Isaiah. Willey does not proceed in canonical order. Rather, the material is broken up into sections delimited by the degree to which a secure intellectual discourse map of the text can be reconstructed. Chapter three covers Isa 51:9-52:12; chapter four handles 49:1-50:3; chapter five treats 52:13-53:12; and chapter six discusses 54:1-17. After short introductory sections, each chapter presents a translation and set of textual notes of the Isaiah section to be analyzed . The discussion then works from those elements which can be most securely...